49ers 2011 draft – Trent Baalke’s film evaluation

The 49ers and general manager Trent Baalke invited reporters for an annual film review of their 10 draft picks, with particular attention paid to the top three. Here’s a summation of Baalke’s thinking on each pick.

Trent Baalke runs down the draft.

DE Aldon Smith, Missouri (1st round, no. 7 overall): Baalke touted Smith’s ability to line up at numerous places along the defensive line as a plus. Smith rushed from outside the tight end and outside the tackle also from the outside shade of the guard. His long arms also really showed up with his ability to reach and grab an escaping quarterback. Smith also flashed some impressive quickness by chasing down a running back from the back side. Baalke also minimized the importance of Smith in coverage, saying he would do that maybe 10 to 15 percent of the time. His main duties will be to pass rush, and set the edge in the running game. A player sets the edge by hitting the outside blocker while keeping his outside leg and arm free to make the tackle. The edge-setter tries to reduce the space for runners to get to the outside. As far as playing coverage, Baalke said Smith’s condor-like wingspan will help eat up space in his zone. Baalke also said Smith had some body flexibility which showed in his pass rush, but he did admit that Smith could look stiff in pursuit. Smith also needs to work on staying low in his first two steps. He also exhibited a wicked club move in which he uses a quick punch to the shoulder of the lineman and then speeds past.

QB Colin Kaepernick, Nevada (2nd round, no. 45 overall): His qualities include his foot speed and height (over 6-4) and his arm strength. When Baalke and coach Jim Harbaugh ran Kaepernick’s workout in Nevada, Baalke was impressed by how quickly he picked up instructions. He also liked his intelligence and passion and the fact he showed some intangibles in college. The tape was revealing, particularly one clip of Kaepernick slinging the ball 25 yards down field while running to his left. Baalke pointed out that Kaepernick can throw accurately from different arm angles, which is a NFL must. Baalke also showed another clip of Kaepernick looking to his left and then shifting quickly and throwing to his right. The pass went over the heads of the linebackers and found the receiver before the defensive backs could descend. The play only took 2.5 seconds. Both Baalke and Harbaugh seemed unconcerned by Kaepernick’s funky delivery and while many have said he has a long release, Baalke called it quick. The only adjustment coaches will make for him is ball security; Kaepernick holds the ball too loosely for Baalke’s liking. Kaepernick also handles the chaos of playing the position and Baalke said he’s good against pressure because he’s tall enough to see over the rush, tough enough to stand in the pocket, and elusive enough to avoid blitzers. Baalke admitted that going to a dropback offense will be an adjustment but also said, “Who’s to say we’re not going to be in the pistol.” That’s the modified spread-like attack Kaepernick ran in college. Baalke said he traded up in the second because a few teams wanted Kaepernick, including the Raiders.

CB Chris Culliver, South Carolina (3rd round, no. 80): Culliver started 31 games in college at safety, nickelback, but only seven at corner. Nevertheless, Baalke believes that Culliver’s size (6-0) and speed (4.36 in the 40) will project into good cornerback-play with time. Baalke said you could see Culliver’s improvement with each game.

RB Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State (4th round, no. 115): His three clips included two long runs with Hunter reading blocks well and stepping through tackles. Baalke doesn’t believe Hunter is a change-of-pace back, despite his stature (5-7, 200 pounds). He has a good combination of quickness, strength and explosion, he also impressed Baalke with his pass-protection skills at the combine.

G Daniel Kilgore, Applachian State (5th round, no. 163) Baalke believes he can handle the move from tackle to guard. At guard, things happen quicker and your thought process has to speed up, but Kilgore is up to that task. On tape, he flat-backed a defensive back about 30 yards downfield while blocking on a screen pass.

WR Ronald Johnson, USC (6th, no. 182) The tape showed Johnson catching a long pass, a quick slant and running back a punt. Baalke said Johnson lives in the weight and film rooms and he projects as a slot receiver. Johnson will get thrown into the mix with the other receivers to see what he can do. Baalke mentioned that the contracts of Ted Ginn Jr. and Josh Morgan expire at the end of the year.

S Colin Jones, TCU (6th, no. 190). The 49ers would love to groom Jones to be a Pro Bowl special teams core player. His size-speed and mentality combination make him well-suited to be a special teams marvel. He could also project as a dime linebacker.

FB Bruce Miller, Central Florida (7th, no. 211). A college defensive end that the team will try to convert to fullback. Baalke raved about Miller’s effort and his mentality. He said that fullbacks don’t have to be overly athletic, they just have to work hard and be physical.

CB Curtis Holcomb (7th, 250) They found him after he staged a “plus workout” meaning he worked out well enough for scouts to go back and look at his film. On film, he was really quick changing directions. He was also a four-time team captain, which is unusual.